Bertha Came Home

My boys dread when Bertha comes home.  She isn't a very nice or patient person, and she came today.  She walked in the door after working all day, found two boys sleeping in a messy house, and stayed true to form.  Can I just say that they had one hour to clean the mess before the house would be invaded by 10 to 12 teenagers?   Dishes in the sink, on the table and the bar.  Shoes everywhere, Subway wrappers and other miscellaneous items waiting to be put away.  Bertha woke the boys, spewed her venom and walked to the bedroom.  There she took a breath and tried to compose herself, but Bertha just wasn't going settle down.  She went back to the kitchen started banging dishes around to get her point across and the poor boys began to get busy.  You see, they know not to even comment when Bertha is here because it would not be received well.  The mess was cleaned in no time and Berth went to take a nap.  

If you haven't figured it out, Bertha is my alter ego that rears her ugly head every once in a while.  I do my best to keep her at bay, but when I am tired and feel a bit overwhelmed she will just come out.  She was named several years ago when the boys were young.  When I had bad days, I let them know that I was Bertha and not their mom.  They began to understand, that when Bertha visited it really was a good time to remain calm and do what she said otherwise it would not be pretty.  It become a great opportunity for us to discuss moods and self control.  When they called me Bertha, I knew that they were feeling like I was out of control and in many ways helped me to find control.  Most of the time we laugh about Bertha and make jokes that she was here, but only days like today remind them of the "true" Bertha wrath.

I am sorry boys, and Jacklyn since you had to be here to witness this, be assured after the nap Bertha went home.  

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